A Splash Of Color
by roamingandwriting
Summary: Phineas has lost his drive for inventing, and just about everything else along with it. Isabella helps to remind him why he does these fantastic things every day; and, more importantly, who for. Fluffy oneshot. Rated T to be safe. Heavy Phinabella near the end!


***Author's Note* This was originally going to be a chapter in Gone In A Flash, and it might still be if this doesn't get too much attention. Just a little oneshot, I hope you all enjoy! (Keep reading for a lot of Phinabella.)**

He was a master of inventing, thoughts flipping about in his mind at all times, just begging to be roughly etched onto paper and brought to life. He flirted with impossibility, danced with imagination and creativity in a constant swirl of fervor for what he did best. He smiled widely, covered in oil and grease from his latest invention, sleeves rolled up and already preparing for his next creation. He loved his ways of taking the day and morphing it into whatever he saw fit. He loved breathing in every tiny bit of summer air that wafted towards him. He loved the explosions of vibrant life and color he saw in all of his friends. Isabella's splashes of bravery and determination, Buford's toughness masking his softer side that showed his love for his friends. Baljeet's constantly whirring mind, Ferb's quiet and thoughtful world. He loved his friends, and so he built each and every day with his brother Ferb, grinning at every mishap and mistake because he knew why he was doing it. Phineas Flynn did it to feel alive.

He had never felt so lifeless before. He hadn't built in weeks, and his friends were going concerned. Ferb and the others initially assumed it was a repeat of the day that the two inventors had suddenly been more interested in grass growing than making jet-powered water wings. When the day passed and the sun kissed the world into a hue of red and orange to signal the coming nighttime, each person went home ready for the next day; Ferb had kept them entertained. When they returned the following morning, Phineas remained sullen and quiet in the corner. Buford tried punching him, but didn't have the heart to actually hurt him. Baljeet tried asking for help with a project, but to no avail. Ferb tried quietly muttering unknown things to him. Isabella batted her eyelashes and smiled, chirping her signature catch phrase. While the last attempt had gotten a soulless smile out of him, the group was becoming increasingly concerned.

He assured them it was nothing, that he was doing just fine. That the great Phineas Flynn would be coming back shortly with even more fantastic, big ideas for them. Phineas assumed that version of himself must have been caught in traffic; he hadn't seen him in a few weeks.

He took to sitting quietly in the corner as the gang embarked on plans designed by the pair of inventors but never before used. He entertained himself with quiet humming to the music he had brought to listen to, and nothing else. His ideas had run out. All gone from his mind. It had been a gradual thing; Isabella had requested help with a patch, and he helped her with it; it was to his surprise that he half-heartedly got up and agreed to do it in the first place. Ferb needed help with Vanessa; he dejectedly half-assed it. Baljeet needed help with school work, and Phineas guessed with a scowl. Buford needed help with theatre practice, and Phineas fell asleep when he was supposed to read his lines.

His splash of color was gone, his mind's gears no longer whirring as they used to. Maybe it was Isabella's new dating life that sent him over the edge into this slump. He had gotten into a fight with Tony, her first boyfriend. He claimed that Tony had thrown the first punch, and he stood by that. It wasn't a complete lie, if you count verbally degrading Isabella as a punch. Isabella believed him of course, and broke up with Tony instantly. Phineas felt strangely satisfied, but his gears had already been slowing down.

When she joined him on the hill during the gang's New Year's celebration at the lake, he smiled with no hint of laughter in his eyes. She gazed at him and began to speak.

"What happened to you, Phineas Flynn?"

He stared at the grass, waving in the light breeze of the evening.

"I don't know, Isabella. I don't… I don't feel any splashes of color anymore. I don't know why I can't invent, why everything's so slow now. I feel like I want to travel, but I've seen everything. I feel like I want to start a band, but I've already been a one-hit wonder. Everything someone works for in their life can be done with a snap of my fingers in one afternoon. I don't- I don't work for anything." His words spilled out of his mouth as smoothly as the water flowed in the lake below them.

She said nothing, and let his words sink in before she spoke once again.

"That's the beauty of your work, Phineas. You can do the impossible and-"

"I don't _want _to do the impossible, Isabella! I want to do the normal! I want to be able to work for things, but I can't live without inventing. I feel so trapped by this!" His words hung in the air around them, and he could feel Isabella plucking them down into her next sentence.

"You're one of the most incredible people I've ever met, Phineas Flynn. You work for everything you do. Your work has helped so many people throughout Danville. You never stop caring about your friends; you always help them out, no matter how tedious the task is. You're lively and such a great person to just _be _around. I can't explain what makes you special, Phineas, because you'll never understand it. You don't need to be ordinary because you aren't ordinary. Your inventions are out of this world, and so are you. There's nothing to be ashamed about," she said as the crickets began to chirp around them.

His eyes drifted over to hers, and his mouth widened into the first genuine smile she had seen from him in months. A sad smile, granted, but filled with realization and appreciation. His gratitude was expressed in a quiet hug, as he held her close under the now inky sky.

"I think I know what my next project will be, Isabella."

She pulled away reluctantly, and kept her hand on his shoulder. Her mouth curved into a mischievous smile.

"I can't wait to see what it will be this time," she said as he cracked a larger smile.

And so Phineas Flynn began working.

It started with him asking a certain young lady to the upcoming dance, nervous and tugging at his collar as he asked.

It continued as the two shared the best years of their lives together, building together and laughing together.

And it blossomed into him asking for her hand in marriage, and laughing heartily at her gleeful acceptance before sweeping her into his arms.

He would call Isabella the splash of color in his life, who constantly helped his mind come up with even more ways to make the most of every day. He would call her his inspiration, and his greatest success.

And he know that he worked for this, for them, every single day of his life; ever since she had first walked into his yard at age five. His speech at their wedding showed that he remembered every single detail.

She had walked into his yard after being shooed away by her parents, currently having brunch with their new neighbors. Five years old and excited to meet new people, she had cutely asked what the two boys were up to. The redhead had grinned and looked at her with the eager smile she would grow to love, and said he was starting on a new project.

And little did he know just how big a project it would be.

**Thank you for reading this! Please leave a review of what you thought.**


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